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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28297218">My Life Revolves Around Cliches I Hated As A Kid</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eloquence_and_melancholy/pseuds/eloquence_and_melancholy'>eloquence_and_melancholy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fence (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Basically, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nick POV, Party, cute Bobby/Dante, frozen yogurt dates with ur rival, implied harvard/aiden, next time I will write a pic with Harvard in it I love him, resolve vs clorox discourse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:54:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,324</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28297218</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eloquence_and_melancholy/pseuds/eloquence_and_melancholy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick scrambled out of his seat, grabbing his hoodie and slipping it on. He took a couple steps before Seiji called out again.</p>
<p>“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Seiji raised an eyebrow. </p>
<p>With a quick shrug, Nick leaned down and quickly pecked Seiji on the cheek. “See you later!”</p>
<p>It wasn’t until five minutes later that he realized Seiji meant the bill. Oh well, he’d pay Seiji back for dinner later.</p>
<p>Or, Nicholas and Seiji realize their feelings for each other, but it all starts with an accident.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nicholas Cox/Seiji Katayama</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>90</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>My Life Revolves Around Cliches I Hated As A Kid</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>It took a long time to finish this and I think its cause I still haven't finished reading striking distance. idk but something about the characterizations in it didn't't sit right with me which was so disappointing cause I love fence :( hopefully ill finish the book before new years but like, I started reading it the day it came out and I still haven't even made it halfway through. </p>
<p>anyways, enjoy! also if u want to follow me on tumblr its @sunlitpynch I've never been very active there, but hey if u wanna chat or just say hi or something don't be shy I'm nice I promise</p>
<p>hope yall like it! also title comes from this was a home once by bad suns no relation the story, just liked it</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>If someone had told Nick he’d be out eating dinner with Seiji on a Friday night, Nick would’ve laughed, called them crazy, and then laughed again. </span>
  <span>But, apparently, having dinner with Seiji on a Friday night was just part of his life now.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You eat like a pig,” Seiji looked borderline offended at the grease on Nick’s hands.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick blinked. “It’s pizza, how else am I supposed to eat it?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Like a civilized member of society,” Seiji exhaled loudly through his nose, and Nick could tell he wished he was anywhere </span>
  <em>
    <span>but</span>
  </em>
  <span> having dinner together. Then he picked up his knife and fork and started to cut into his pizza.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” Nick exclaimed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“...Eating,” Seiji said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you eating pizza with a fork?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji rolled his eyes. “Utensils were created for a reason. Now, if you want to eat like a caveman, that’s your choice, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> was raised with manners,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick shook his head, but he let it go nonetheless. He was trying to be nicer, so if eating like a preppy weirdo made Seiji happy, he wouldn’t say anything else about it, no matter how unsettling it was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Soooo,” Nick thought for a moment. “How was your day?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I was with you for almost all of it, so, not very good,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick almost laughed, because, </span>
  <em>
    <span>hey</span>
  </em>
  <span>, sometimes Seiji could be funny, even though he’d never admit it. “Got any plans this weekend?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I have to finish the paper Ms.Edwards assigned us yesterday. Then I’ll probably get a headstart on the reading for next week. Perhaps after, I may even start my study notes for the upcoming test,” Seiji said offhandedly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick coughed. “Got any </span>
  <em>
    <span>other</span>
  </em>
  <span> plans this weekend?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji glared at him. “There’s nothing wrong with maintaining a strong work ethic. If I were you, I’d do the same because I’ve seen your current grade in the class and it’s not pretty,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, thank god you’re not me then. Gene and I are going to see </span>
  <em>
    <span>Robot Ninjas In Space: The Sequel</span>
  </em>
  <span> in theatres tomorrow,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds like the biggest waste of time ever,” Seiji furrowed his eyebrows.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Seiji, I don’t think you understood me correctly,” Nick straightened up in his seat, “they’re robot ninjas. In </span>
  <em>
    <span>space,”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I got that from the title,” Seiji dryly nodded. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyway, then after we’re going to Bobby’s room because Dante’s got this big assignment for his cooking class. The three of us are gonna be his taste testers, doesn’t that sound awesome?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It seemed as though it pained Seiji to smile. “Yes, </span>
  <em>
    <span>awesome</span>
  </em>
  <span>...extremely awesome,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick found it nice that Seiji was also trying to be more kind, however, it wasn’t like they really had a choice in the matter either. Coach was fed up with them, again, and this time she’d sent them off campus for some one-on-one team bonding. Nick was pretty sure she’d just found a random 2-for-1 pizza coupon in her desk before sending them away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I also think Aiden knows a guy, who knows a guy, who’s having a party tomorrow night, so maybe we’ll check that out too,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds like a...fun weekend,” Seiji winced, and, for some reason, Nick didn’t believe him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And then </span>
  <em>
    <span>I guess</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’ll work on Ms. Edward’s paper on Sunday,” He relented. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji nodded in approval for once. “I’ll proofread it for you, it’s good practice for graduate school anyway,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Right,” Nick had no idea what that meant, but hey, if it meant Seiji would help him get a better grade then he was all for it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They continued eating in silence, but Nick didn’t mind. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span> talking, he just never felt comfortable around other people if there wasn’t conversation happening. With Seiji, it was different. He didn’t have to talk a mile a minute all the time. Just sometimes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Being Seiji’s roommate wasn’t what he expected. Sure they argued, but they also had an understanding. They </span>
  <em>
    <span>got</span>
  </em>
  <span> each other, no matter how much they wished they didn’t. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe Sunday, after we finish our papers, we can go get ice cream or something,” Nick suggested.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji thought for a moment. “I prefer frozen yogurt, but sure, we can do that,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick smiled. Maybe Coach was onto something, and all of her forced bonding was starting to work.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>More than halfway through dinner, Nick’s phone goes off. Seiji looked sufficiently displeased with his choice of ring tones, even though it wasn’t even Nick who chose it. My Humps by The Black Eyed Peas played, courtesy of Eugene, both for setting it as his ringtone and for being the one calling.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick declined the call, grinning at Seiji. “See how I’m prioritizing you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wish you wouldn’t,” Seiji said, which Nick took to mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘thank you so much, you’re the best Nick’</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He had to agree with Seiji there.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“In order to make this relationship work, we both have to make sacrifices,” Nick explained.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Relationship?” It looked like the word left a bad taste in Seiji’s mouth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Relationship, friendship, partnership, companionship, ex-rivalship,” Nick listed, “whatever you want to call it,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tentative acquaintances,” Seiji decided.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eugene called Nick again, so Nick declined again and turned his phone on vibrate.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji eyed Nick’s phone and said. “Someone’s rather popular tonight,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Nick opened his mouth to reply, his phone started vibrating loudly on the table. He declined for the third time and sheepishly smiled at Seiji.  “I’m sure Eugene just saw another raccoon that he thought looked like his grandpa again. It’s fine, he’ll just send me a picture of it later,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I highly doubt he’d come all this way to tell you about a raccoon,” Seiji furrowed his eyebrows.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah — wait, what?” Nick’s eyes widened in alarm, “He’s here?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji pointed over Nick’s shoulder, and when he spun around to look, he saw Eugene making his way over to them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I hate to interrupt, but Nick, they’re having a midnight screening of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Robot Ninjas in Space: The Sequel.</span>
  </em>
  <span> It’s a one ticket per person limit, so we have to go get our tickets now if we want to make it,” Eugene hurriedly explained.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“A midnight screening?” Nick exclaimed. Then he coughed and turned back to Seiji. “I mean, </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh</span>
  </em>
  <span>, a midnight screening? How nice, unfortunately, I am spoken for tonight,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Rumour has it a member of the main cast will be there!” Eugene added, “Fingers crossed it’s Sir Clarence III,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick saw Seiji’s confusion and explained, “He’s a Great Dane who plays a mutant mutt. Half robot, half dog — cyborg style,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re running out of time Nick, and I want Sir Clarence to put a paw stamp on my chest,” Eugene pleaded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But I’m here with Seiji, I can’t just leave,” Nick reminded Eugene.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, okay, okay. I understand. I’ll get Sir Clarence to put a paw print on a piece of paper for you,” Eugene said. Without waiting for a reply, he took off, presumably running to the midnight screening.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You should go,” Seiji said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick did a double-take. “Huh?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji rolled his eyes. “You, for reasons beyond my comprehension, have a deep love for these...robot space ninja’s, so if you want to go, you should. We’re getting frozen yogurt Sunday together anyway,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Seiji it’d be rude to leave you in the middle of dinner. I have manners,” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not rude if I insist,” Seiji replied with a soft smile on his face that Nick didn’t recognize.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Seiji, you’re the best! I promise to get a Sir Clarence paw print for you,” Nick grinned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji wrinkled his nose. “Please, don’t,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick scrambled out of his seat, grabbing his hoodie and slipping it on. He took a couple steps before Seiji called out again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Seiji raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick tilted his head. Their dinner had been pretty good, all things considered, but he hadn’t realized they’d made </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> much progress. Though he supposed Seiji was doing him a favour by letting him go to the midnight screening with Eugene, so maybe they </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> at that stage in their relationship (or tentative acquaintance-ship, as Seiji insisted). With a quick shrug, Nick leaned down and quickly pecked Seiji on the cheek. “See you later!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick didn’t wait for Seiji’s reply, and instead, he hurried after Eugene’s retreating figure. It wasn’t until five minutes later that he realized Seiji meant </span>
  <em>
    <span>the bill. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oh well, he’d pay Seiji back for dinner later.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So what was it like meeting that dog, uh, Clarence, or something?” Bobby asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sir Clarence III,” Nick said, “and it was life-changing,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I’m glad you had fun! And the fact that Seiji insisted you go even though you were in the middle of dinner? What a gentleman,” Bobby sighed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, it was pretty cool of him,” Nick agreed “I should probably get him a card or something,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The two of them walked out of the building, surprised to see how much snow there was. There’d been a storm overnight, but Nick didn’t expect there to still be snow when he woke up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe we should’ve worn thicker jackets,” Bobby said with wide eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe,” Nick shrugged, “oh well,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did neither of you check the weather this morning? Or look out of the window even?” Dante said as he came up behind them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Bobby pouted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dante shook his head fondly. Then he shrugged off his coat, leaving him in a fuzzy-looking sweater. “You’re going to freeze out here, take my jacket,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Won’t you be cold?” Bobby asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m fine, just put it on before you become an icicle,” Dante held out his coat to Bobby, who quickly slipped it on. The sleeves covered his hands and the entire thing looked like it was smothering him, but it didn’t seem like he cared all that much. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Bobby smiled, with heart-eyes directed at Dante. Nick was happy to see that the heart-eyes were completely reciprocated if the way Dante was looking back at Bobby was anything to go by.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How predictable,” Seiji said, coming up on Nick’s left, “you’re not wearing a jacket. You’re going to catch a cold like this,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I forgot,” Nick shrugged.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji shook his head. He took his hands out of his pockets and removed his gloves, passing them off to Nick. “At the very least wear these,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You don't have to—”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If you lose all your fingers to hypothermia, how will you be able to fence? We’d have to replace you, and that’s entirely inconvenient at this point in the year,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick laughed, slipping on the gloves. “Thank you,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji looked at him for a moment before untying his scarf and wrapping it around Nick’s neck instead. “This should keep you warm enough,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick thanked him again before he left, heading to the library early. Nick turned back around to see Bobby and Dante staring at him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What was that?” Bobby asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What was what?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“That,</span>
  </em>
  <span> with Seiji,” Bobby looked like he could barely contain his joy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Dante did the same for you!” Nick scoffed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did Seiji give you his stuff because he thinks you look cute in his clothes?” Dante raised an eyebrow “Because that’s at least 50% why I gave Bobby my jacket,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick felt his cheeks flame up. “Of course he doesn’t...does he?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Looked like it to me,” Bobby grinned. Dante faintly nodded in agreement.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna go ask him if he thinks I’m cute,” Nick decided. Now that they’d put the idea in his head, Nick needed to know. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, I'll see you at lunch — wait, what?” Bobby looked oddly horrified. Nick didn’t wait any longer, he took off in the same direction as Seiji and quickly waved goodbye to Bobby and Dante.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t take him long to catch up to Seiji, and when he did, he popped up beside him with a particularly loud, “Hi, Seiji!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji stumbled in surprise, and his misstep landed him on a small patch of ice. Nick’s eyes widened as he watched Seiji slip, and without a second thought, he reached out and grabbed Seiji before he could fall, pulling him in close, leaving Seiji almost cradled in his chest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji gripped Nick’s arms with a dazed look in his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh,” Nick said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Seiji asked, chest heaving with adrenaline still.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I never noticed how pretty you were before,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Like, objectively I always knew you were attractive, cause, </span>
  <em>
    <span>duh</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I’m not blind. But, you’re really pretty,” Nick rambled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh,</span>
  </em>
  <span> I, uh—”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry,“ Nick shook his head, “that came out of nowhere. Anyway, I didn’t mean to scare you, sorry about that as well. I’ll, uh, see you later,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick gently helped Seiji stand on his own again, then he let go and took off in the opposite direction, wondering why all of a sudden he couldn’t get Seiji out of his mind.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His little monologue about how pretty Seiji is, was definitely embarrassing. But it was also eye-opening. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why</span>
  </em>
  <span> had he always been obsessed with having Seiji’s attention? It was more than just his need to be viewed as a separate entity from Jesse. It was more than just wanting to beat Seiji in fencing (though he still wouldn’t mind winning). He was acting like a little kid pulling pig-tails.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He enjoyed antagonizing Seiji, he enjoyed the tension between them, he enjoyed the rivalry. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized just how </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span> he’d been enjoying it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before he could second guess himself, Nick whipped out his phone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Nick: i think i have a thing for seiji</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Eugene: i was wondering how long it’d take for u to notice</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Nick: how come i never realized it before?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Eugene: probably has something to do with the whole rivalry thing, u know? u had all these strong feelings for him, and u didn’t know what to do with them</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Nick: what should i do?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Eugene: u could tell him</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Nick: and admit that im basically obsessed with him? NO</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Eugene: sometimes ur unbelievable</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe he should talk to someone about it. Someone who would understand the terrifying ordeal of </span>
  <em>
    <span>liking</span>
  </em>
  <span> your roommate/friend/fencing partner.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Nick: r u free</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Aiden: maybe</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Nick: ill bring u snax</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Aiden: yes im free</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was probably going to regret it, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and boy was he desperate.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nick! What a surprise!” Aiden exclaimed as he opened his door. His fake smile was annoyingly bright as he grabbed the bag of snacks from Nick’s arms.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How do you deal with your feelings for Harvard?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Aiden froze, spluttering out a loud </span>
  <em>
    <span>“What?!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, your feelings for him. Romantically speaking,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How do you know? Who told you?” Aiden yanked him inside the dorm and locked the door behind him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No one told me,” Nick shrugged Aiden’s hands off his shoulders, “I thought everyone knew about it?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Aiden dropped his head into his hands. “Oh my god,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not that big of a deal,” Nick said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It is </span>
  <em>
    <span>literally</span>
  </em>
  <span> the biggest deal,” Aiden retorted, “you cannot tell a soul about this,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I won’t, I promise,” Nick acquiesced. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you want?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How do you deal with liking Harvard?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Aiden laughed.</span>
  <em>
    <span> “I don’t,”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick’s shoulders dropped. “Oh,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His curiosity must've got the better of him because Aiden asked. “Why do you ask?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Because I may have just discovered that I have feelings for Seiji. Romantically speaking,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Aiden’s eyes widened. “Oh, wow. Does he like you back?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know. How do I find out?” Nick asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You could ask,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, like how you asked Harvard?” Nick looked at him pointedly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Aiden narrowed his eyes. “Point taken,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t think I’m going to that party tonight. I’ve been doing way too much thinking today, it’s giving me a headache,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“How </span>
  </em>
  <span>are you even real?” Aiden scoffed, and his tone ensured Nick understood he meant it as an insult. Then Aiden’s eyes widened with realization. “The party!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The party?” Nick echoed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Get Seiji to go with you to the party,” He elaborated. Then he coughed, “I mean, not that I care about you, or whatever,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That...wasn’t a bad idea, Nick thought. Seiji could use a night out because no one should spend that much time doing work. It wasn’t even homework. And maybe some liquid courage would help Nick express how he felt to Seiji. Because even though he didn’t want to, he had to tell Seiji how he felt. It would come out eventually, and it was better for it to come from Nick than Seiji find out from Peter in English class, who never knew how to keep his mouth shut.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, Aiden,” Nick grinned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Aiden shrugged, looking somewhat uncomfortable. “Don’t think this makes us friends or anything,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Nick laughed, and if he wasn’t mistaken, he could've sworn he saw a small smile on Aiden’s face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Convincing Seiji to go to the party that night wasn’t hard, because, in exchange, Nick promised to agree to a week of early morning fencing practice, and every Saturday for the next month, Nick would be spending time in his dorm doing schoolwork with Seiji. It was a steep price to pay, but for Seiji, it was worth it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Aiden’s friend — Nick was pretty sure his name was Jamie Jamison, which was just another reason to eat the rich — had probably spent more money on the party than Nick had ever had in his bank account in his whole life. That’s why Nick didn’t feel bad when he spilled his drink on the carpet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nick,” Seiji admonished, “you’re a guest in his house, that is no way to treat the host,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He has a real elephant tusk on the wall,” Nick pointed out “forgive me if I don’t exactly feel bad about making him clean up something for once,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji looked disapprovingly at the elephant tusk. “I would love to have a chat with Mr.Jamison about the endangerment of animals, and in fact, if I see him this evening, I will. However, you’d be wrong to assume he’d be the one cleaning up your mess. So go to the kitchen and find some cleaning supplies, Nicholas. We’re not leaving this for some poor house cleaner to deal with,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick hung his head and sighed. “You’re right. I’ll be right back,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It figured that the one time Nick went to a party with Seiji, he would end up cleaning. But, as much as it pained Nick to admit it, Seiji had a point. So he made his way through the crowds of people and into the kitchen.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looked in the cupboard under the sink, but he had no idea which product would work for carpet stains, so he glanced around. Once he spotted someone wearing a Rolex watch and Louboutin loafers, he tapped them on the shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” The guy snapped.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you have one of those expensive rugs in your house?” Nick pointed to the carpet by Seiji’s feet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The guy scoffed. “Of course. Though </span>
  <em>
    <span>mine</span>
  </em>
  <span> isn’t last season’s,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Right,” Nick nodded “so should I use Resolve or Clorox?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, to clean?” Nick said “I’m not sure which one’s more effective. Or do you think I should just use plain water?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is this some sort of joke? Did Jamie put you up to this?” The guy narrowed his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick rolled his eyes. He was really getting sick and tired of these rich guys. “Can you just pick one? Resolve or Clorox?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A new guy slung his arm around Nick’s shoulders out of nowhere. He had a grin on his face that looked a tad bit too perfect. His brown hair was styled similarly to Seiji’s, though on him it looked a lot more douchey. “Use Resolve, it works better for different kinds of stains,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sterling? I haven’t seen you in a while,” Rolex guy’s eyes widened.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe that was on purpose Will, I really don’t like you all that much,” Sterling said. Nick shrugged him off and grabbed the bottle of Resolve.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve always been somewhat of a comedian,” Will stiffly laughed, looking as though he wished he could punch the smile off of Sterling’s face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I hope you guys are able to...</span>
  <em>
    <span>resolve,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nick winked, holding up the bottle “your issues. Thanks for the help. Or, thanks for nothing, in Will’s case,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He walked off to the sound of Sterling laughing and Will squawking indignantly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Could you have taken any longer?” Seiji huffed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick shrugged, handing him the Resolve bottle. “Rich dudes are weird,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, I’m technically one of those ‘rich dudes’,” Seiji raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, but you’re different. You don’t think you’re better than me cause you’re rich, you think you’re better than me cause you beat me in fencing. You also don’t have a weird name like Jamie Jamison,” Nick smiled at Seiji. He shrugged again, “You even know how to use Resolve. You’re just...different,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With an unreadable look on his face, Seiji started spraying the spot on the carpet, ignoring the looks the people around them were giving him. Nick joined him on the ground and helped scrub with a damp rag.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick looked at Seiji and found himself entranced by everything and anything. The mole under his eye, the little furrow between his eyebrows that only happened when he was concentrating, the way he was absentmindedly nibbling his bottom lip, the way a single strand of hair had fallen out of place and was dangling in front of his face. Without a second thought, Nick reached over and tucked the hair behind Seiji’s ear.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Startled, Seiji’s head whipped towards him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Seiji, I—”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, you know, I never got your name earlier,” Sterling cut him off. He was standing over the two of them, seemingly finished with whatever conversation he was having earlier with Will.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Annoyed, but still civil, Nick smiled tightly. “It’s Nick,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, hello Nick,” Sterling grinned, “I’m Sterling,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s nice to meet you, but I’m kind of in the middle of something,” Nick gestured to the carpet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know Jamie’s got like, maids and shit, right? You don’t have to do that,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you know, I’ve got like, manners and shit,” Nick said “I’m not gonna make someone else clean up my mess,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re kind of feisty,” Sterling said “I like that,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay,” Nick nodded, hoping he’d get the hint and leave. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you wanna go somewhere else? My parents are at some fundraiser tonight, so I’ve got the house to myself,” Sterling offered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick winced. “Uh, maybe some other time?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Anytime works for me,” Sterling grinned “even if my parents are home. If they see you, they’ll freak,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick felt his face grow warm. He wasn’t dumb, he could read between the lines. Between the whole Resolve or Clorox debacle in the kitchen with Will, the carpet he was currently cleaning, and he could only assume the way he looked out of place without any name brand clothes, Sterling had made the correct assumption that Nick was poor. And now Sterling wanted to use him for some sort of rebellious phase he was clearly going through. Because what other use would a rich kid have for a guy like Nick.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey,” Seiji snapped, finally joining the conversation. Sterling and Nick both looked at him in surprise. “I bet you think you’re not like Jamie Jamison and the other guys here, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sterling nodded, hesitantly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Incorrect. You are exactly like them, if not worse. You probably think that because you make fun of them, and you dress in all black, and you want to engage in relations with people of a ‘lower status’ than yourself, that you’re better than Jamie Jamison and the others. But you still go to their parties, and you still wear the designer clothes, and your parents still pay for your private school tuition, and you still think that just because you’re well off, that your social status is higher,” Seiji ranted without missing a beat “so, in fact, Sterling, you are nothing more than a </span>
  <em>
    <span>phoney</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Now, if you’d excuse us, we have better places to be than here,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji grabbed Nick’s hand and pulled him up with him. He shoved the Resolve and the rags in a nonplussed Sterling’s hands, and immediately left, taking Nick with him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That was amazing,” Nick breathed out in awe.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, well, someone had to say it,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You totally defended my honour,” Nick grinned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji huffed. “An unintentional side effect, yes,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After a few moments of silence, Nick piped up again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So where are we going?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re getting our frozen yogurt tonight instead. I believe we deserve a reward after </span>
  <em>
    <span>that,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seiji said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>If someone had told Nick he’d be out eating frozen yogurt with Seiji at eleven pm on a Saturday night after a disaster party, Nick would’ve laughed, called them crazy, and then laughed again. But, apparently, much like having pizza on a Friday night, having frozen yogurt with Seiji on a Saturday night was just part of his life now.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They sat in the middle of the frozen yogurt store, the only other patrons being an elderly couple and a very tired looking babysitter with two rugrats. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve gotta go to the bathroom, be right back,” Nick said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji tutted. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick nodded. He reached into his pocket and placed some money on the table.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seiji looked down at the money, and then back up at Nick. “This time, I meant a kiss, Nicholas,”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes widened. “You like me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I do,” Seiji nodded, the look on his face soft. “Do you like me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I do,” Nick grinned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“In that case, I repeat, aren’t you forgetting something?” Seiji had a sly smile. Nick wanted to kiss off his face — so he did.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nick pressed his lips to Seiji's and kissed him like it was the most important thing he’d ever had to do in his life, because, well, Nick was pretty sure it was.</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>someone: *is mean to nick*<br/>seiji: incorrect *proceeds to rip apart their self-esteem*</p>
<p>also I've always loved the idea of nick and aiden being reluctant friends, not the genuine enemies vibe the book gave me lmaooaskhdj so if that seemed ooc....I apologize for nothing</p>
<p>thanks for giving me ur time! happy holidays!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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